Syria

• Tens of thousands of anti-regime protesters have taken to the streets on the second day of the UN and Arab League-brokered ceasefire. Security forces were widely deployed and despite the agreed truce, activists claim that more than 15 people have been killed. The state news agency said an officer was assassinated by "terrorists" in Aleppo. The Local Co-ordination Committees activist group listed 31 areas where it said security services had breached the ceasefire by opening fire on peaceful demonstrations.

• A draft UN security council resolution envisages sending 20-30 unarmed observers to Syria to monitor compliance with Kofi Annan's peace plan. A vote on the resolution is possible later today and if it is approved the observers could arrive early next week. An advanced team is on standby.

• Clashes were reported this morning between Syrian troops and rebels in the Turkish border area, near the village of Khirbel el-Joz.

Bahrain

• The FIA – the governing body of Formula One – says the controversial race will definitely go ahead on 22 April. Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone has told the Associated Press that nothing is happening in Bahrain and "it's all very quiet and peaceful".

• Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of Bahraini citizen journalist Ahmed Ismael Hassan who was shot two weeks ago. Police used teargas and activists claimed they also fired birdshot.

• A shocking new video is said to show the ransacking of a Shia-owned supermarket in Bahrain, with police standing by and one officer stealing from the shop.

Egypt

• The Egyptian parliament – which is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood – is attempting to prevent Omar Suleiman, the Mubarak regime's former intelligence chief, from standing in the presidential election. Ten other would-be contenders (out of 28) are facing legal challenges to their candidacy.

4.29pm: While tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets on the second day of the ceasefire to protest against the Assad regime, the state new agency reports a demonstration in Damascus "to express support to the role of the Syrian Arab Army in preserving security and safety and appreciation for their sacrifices to protect Syria".

It does not say how many people are involved but the following line in the report really stretches credulity:

They [the participants] also considered that the rallies and gatherings across the Syrian provinces prove the people's support to their country and leader and rejection of violence.

2.55pm:Syria: Security forces have committed breaches of Kofi Annan's peace plan in 31 areas by opening fire on peaceful demonstrators, the Local Co-ordination Committees network alleges. It has named all of the areas.

It has posted videos purporting to be of a number of the alleged breaches. We cannot independently verify this information.

He said many regime opponents chanted anti-government slogans inside mosques, but were unable to take the marches outside due to the heavy security presence. "The big security campaign succeeded in limiting the size of the protests," al-Shami said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group, estimated that tens of thousands of protesters calling for Assad's ouster marched in cities and towns across Syria.

The Observatory said one marcher was killed in the opposition stronghold of Hama as he and others tried to reach the main Assi Square, which protesters had occupied for several weeks last year. Two others were killed and 11 wounded in the southern town of Nawa when protesters came under fire from security forces as they gathered in the central square, said area activist Adel al-Omari.

The grassroots Local Co-ordination Committees, another activist group, said that across Syria, at least seven protesters were killed by troops Friday. It was impossible to confirm casualty tolls because the country is largely sealed off from journalists.

In Damascus, troops and pro-government militiamen known as shabiha surrounded a mosque in the Qadam neighbourhood and beat people staging a protest inside the house of worship, said the LCC. In another Damascus neighbourhood, Barzeh, demonstrators called for the downfall of the regime, the LCC said. In Aleppo, troops fired teargas at marchers gathering outside the Grand Mosque, the group said.

Fadi al-Yassin, an activist who took part in a protest in a town in the northern province of Idlib, said about 6,000 people participated, including women and children. Protesters dispersed peacefully after the march and troops did not open fire at them, said al-Yassin, who did not want to name the location, for fear of government reprisals.

2.32pm: Here is a summary of key developments in the region so far today:

Syria

• Numerous demonstrations are taking place in Syria today. An activist in Hama says troops opened fire on protesters there. Elsewhere, security forces have reportedly been making strenuous efforts to prevent demonstrations taking place. According to the activist Local Coordination Committees, at least seven people have been killed.

• Clashes were reported this morning between Syrian troops and rebels in the Turkish border area, near the village of Khirbel el-Joz.

• A draft UN security council resolution envisages sending 20-30 unarmed observers to Syria to monitor compliance with Kofi Annan's peace plan. A vote on the resolution is possible later today and if it is approved the observers could arrive early next week.

Bahrain

• The FIA – the governing body of Formula One – says the controversial race will definitely go ahead on 22 April. Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone has told the Associated Press that nothing is happening in Bahrain and "it's all very quiet and peaceful".

• A shocking new video is said to show the ransacking of a Shia-owned supermarket in Bahrain, with police standing by and one officer stealing from the shop.

Egypt

• The Egyptian parliament – which is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood – is attempting to prevent Omar Suleiman, the Mubarak regime's former intelligence chief, from standing in the presidential election. Ten other would-be contenders (out of 28) are facing legal challenges to their candidacy.

1.55pm:Bahrain: Former world champion Damon Hill has thrown his weight back behind the controversial Bahrain Formula One grand prix on Friday, one week after he urged the authorities to reconsider going ahead with the race, Reuters reports.

The 1996 champion had supported the race after taking part in a fact-finding mission last December but had a re-think following reports of almost daily clashes between anti-government protesters and police. He changed his stance again today after the sport's governing body decided the race should go ahead on 22 April. Reuters quotes an email from Hill:

I am now 100% behind the FIA decision to race in Bahrain. All the arguments have been made for and against. Human rights organisations have had their cases heard. No one is under any illusions about the situation. But the less vocal majority of Bahrainis also have a right to get on with their lives and we also have a responsibility to our F1 fans in the region.

I hope that F1 can be seen as a symbol of all that is possible if we can work together peacefully.

Meanwhile, other sporting celebrities have arrived in the kingdom for a pro-celebrity golf tournament this weekend. European Tour champions Paul Casey, Colin Montgomerie and Thomas Bjørn as well as LPGA champion Suzann Pettersen will lead teams in the Bahrain Invitational tournament at the Royal Golf Club's Montgomerie Course.

They will partner former tennis player Tim Henman, former soccer internationals Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli and US Super Bowl winning quarterback Joe Montana.

1.47pm:Syria: Below is a short video clip said to show a demonstration in Rastan after Friday prayers today. Syrian tweeter Shakeeb al-Jabri says "Literally all the men who are still in the city came out in this protest."

Rastan, about 20km north of Homs, has faced several periods of sustained bombardment by Syrian government forces since the uprising began.

Numerous videos said to show today's demonstrations in various parts of the country (plus some from Egypt) are posted here on Bambuser.

We tried to reach again to our main quarter, our main square in Hama, al-Asi square. There were lots of checkpoints and even there were reinforcements on the checkpoints. In spite of all of that all protesters tried to gather in this square so troops opened fire on us and till now one of my colleagues [was] killed and we don't know the exact number of the wounded ...

Here on the ground there isn't any ceasefire from the side of the regime.. There is a kind of slowdown. They are just slowing down. They are just slowing the number of people they usually kill. Instead of killing 100 for example, they just kill 20 or 30 now. That's the difference.

Alhamadee said he didn't have confidence in the proposed UN observers.

We had [a] very bad experience with Arab monitors in Syria. They came just to watch us being killed. When Arab monitors were in Syria, the number of people being killed increased and we fear that the same will happen now. We don't want monitors we don't want people to come and watch how we are being killed. We want people to come and stop the killing and defend us.

11.37am:Bahrain: The funeral of a Bahraini citizen journalist who was shot two weeks ago – apparently by pro-regime vigilantes – is due to take place today. Reuters says the funeral "should draw large numbers in a challenge to security forces, who habitually blanket protests with teargas".

Ahmed Ismael Hassan, 22, was filming a protest when men in a civilian vehicle opened fire, hitting him in the thigh and severing an artery. He died later in hospital.

His funeral was delayed because of a dispute between his family and the authorities who wanted the cause of his death to be stated on the certificate as a deep cut rather than a gunshot wound.

11.19am:Bahrain: An extraordinary video, apparently from a security camera, is said to show the ransacking of a Shia-owned supermarket in Nuwaidrat, Bahrain, on April 10.

About three minutes into the video, police enter the shop but do little to restrain the looters. One officer can be seen stealing a bottle of water.

Al-Jazeera says the shop in the video is owned by Jawad, one of Bahrain's largest retailers:

The company has earned the ire of pro-government Bahrainis because it supposedly served food to protesters in Pearl Roundabout last year.

More than 50 Jawad stores have been vandalised over the past year, so far there have been no arrests in conjunction with the vandalism.

11.02am: The first reported death of the second day of the ceasefire at the hands of the Syrian security forces has been reported by opposition activists in the Braydej suburb of Hama.

The Supreme Presidential Elections Commission (SPEC) says no more challenges will be allowed. A final list of approved candidates will be announced on 26 April.

The election is due to take place on 23 and 24 May. If no candidate wins an outright majority, the two leading contenders will face a runoff in June.

10.35am:Tunisia: Following attacks on journalists by the police, the National Union of Tunisian Journalists has decided not to cover the interior minister's activities for a week, Tunisia Live reports.

Aymen Rezgui, a member of the executive office of the union in charge of freedoms, stated that the reasons behind the decision are the repetitive attacks on journalists, whether physically or through insults, especially on April 9, when a number of journalists were assaulted and threatened.

"On April 9, policemen were attacking journalists and breaking their cameras. There is not respect for journalists, and the interior ministry did not take any measures to investigate the issue," he stated.

The minister, in turn, has denounced "parts of the media" for having "added fuel to the flames" regarding a demonstration in Tunis on Monday that resulted in clashes between police and protesters, AFP reports.

10.04am:Syria: There's discussion on Twitter about the plan to send monitors to Syria. Ian Black, the Guardian's Middle East editor, reported last night that the draft UN security council would allow "an initial 30 observers" to monitor the ceasefire:

Diplomatic sources had earlier said this could rapidly become a 500-strong mission. The draft demanded that the government ensure freedom of movement for the observers and the ability to interview anyone they want in private.

The UN will be keen to avoid a repeat of the situation last December when the authorities were accused of misleading the Arab League monitoring mission.

"It will be no good if they are able to deploy in Homs and Hama if the regime can do what it wants unobserved in Idlib and Deraa," one official said.

The consensus on Twitter seems to be that 30 observers will be nowhere near enough.

First they talked about 3000 UN peacekeepers. Then 233. Now we get a whole 30 monitors. #Syria

9.50am:Syria: Every Friday the Syrian opposition gives a name to the protests and today it is "Revolution for all Syrians", which was chosen after an internet poll. The uprising has been criticised by some of his detractors as sectarian in nature.

Although a ceasefire is supposed to be in effect, it remains to be seen whether protests will be allowed as required under number six of Kofi Annan's six-point plan, which asks the Syrian authorities to "respect freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully as legally guaranteed".

The Local Co-ordination Committees activist group claims that in some areas, measures are being taken to prevent demonstrations/intimidate protesters:

Deraa: Nawa: Security and regime's army are deployed around Al-Imam Al-Nawawi Al-Kabeer mosque to prevent demonstrators to participate in Revolution For All Syrians Friday Damascus suburbs: Mouadamiyeh: Security reinforcement backed by armoured vehicles and vehicles carrying anti aircraft entered the city. Snipers are deployed on a number of buildings, and security checkpoints are stationed around the city Damascus suburbs: Harasta: All city's entrances and exists are blocked, and all mosques are besieged, in addition to disconnecting communications in the area

9.17am:Syria: French president Nicolas Sarkozy said today that he did not believe the Syrian government's declaration of a ceasefire was sincere and that international observers should be deployed to monitor the situation in the country.

Sarkozy said he had discussed the issue with President Obama in a conference call on Thursday, Reuters reports.

"I believe, and I discussed this yesterday afternoon with Barack Obama, that at the very least international observers must be deployed to establish what's going on," he said.

"I firmly believe the international community should live up to its responsibilities and create the conditions for (setting up) humanitarian corridors," he added.

Sarkozy and Obama called on Syria on Thursday to adhere "scrupulously and without conditions" to the UN-backed plan to end the violence in the country.

Photograph: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

9.12am: Bahrain is "very quiet and peaceful" according to Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone. In remarks quoted by the Associated Press following the FIA's decision to go ahead with the grand prix in the kingdom on 22 April, he said:

There's nothing happening [in Bahrain]. I know people that live there and it's all very quiet and peaceful ...

I'm happy that our position is quite clear. We don't get involved in politics in a country ... They will sort out their internal problems [in Bahrain], I'm quite sure.

8.53am: Good morning. Welcome to Middle East Live. We shall be following developments across the region but today, once again, our main focus will be on Syria where the ceasefire has entered its second day and may come under further strain if protesters heed the opposition's call for street demonstrations.

Syria

• Clashes have broken out this morning between Syrian troops and rebels in the Turkish border area, near the village of Khirbel el-Joz, according to a British-based activist organisation, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

• The Syrian opposition has called for peaceful protests today, but with government tanks and troops still in position in towns and cities it is unclear whether large-scale gatherings will be feasible. Burhan Ghalioun of the opposition Syrian National Council has urged demonstrators to "put the regime in front of its responsibilities put the international community in front of its responsibilities".

• A draft UN security council resolution envisages sending 20-30 unarmed observers to Syria to monitor compliance with Kofi Annan's peace plan. A vote on the resolution is possible later today and if it is approved the observers could arrive early next week.

Bahrain

• In what looks like a definitive statement on the Bahrain grand prix, the FIA – the governing body of Formula One – says the controversial race will definitely go ahead on 22 April. The FIA said: "Based on the current information the FIA has at this stage, it is satisfied that all the proper security measures are in place for the running of a Formula One World Championship event in Bahrain. Therefore, the FIA confirms that the 2012 Gulf Air F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain will go ahead as scheduled."

Egypt

• In the continuing tussle over preparations for Egypt's presidential election, parliament – which is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood – has voted to ban candidates who held senior posts under ex-president Mubarak. This would exclude Omar Suleiman, the former intelligence chief, who has declared himself a candidate. The battle over who can or cannot stand is likely to continue however, and the justice ministry has already said parliament's move is unconstitutional.